Jasmine
Asian Jasmine
Trachelospermum asiaticum
A glossy, tough evergreen groundcover whose tiny star-flowers carry a sweet, honeyed perfume far beyond their size.
Scent Profile
What it smells like
Perfume unfolds in three movements. Close your eyes and follow the scent from first breath to the trace it leaves behind.
Top note
A light, honeyed sweetness — bright and gentle, like warm wildflower.
Heart note
A clean, slightly green floral with a soft hay-like warmth underneath.
Base note
A faint, clean musk that fades to a memory of meadow and sun.
Care
How it grows
- Light
- Full sun to partial shade
- Water
- Low to moderate, very drought-tolerant
- Bloom season
- Late spring to summer
- Mature size
- 1–2 ft groundcover, or climbing to 6 ft
- Hardiness
- Zones 7–11
Care notes
Tending this plant
Soil
Remarkably adaptable — tolerant of clay, sand, and dry shade once established. Good drainage is its only real requirement.
Feeding
Needs almost none. A light top-dressing of compost in spring is plenty; overfeeding makes soft, sparse growth that flowers less.
Pruning
Mow or edge hard in early spring to refresh a groundcover planting. Cut back climbing stems to control spread. It regrows dense and glossy from hard cuts.
Winter care
Fully evergreen and hardy — laughs at frost and needs no winter protection in California. Foliage may bronze slightly in cold but recovers fast.
Container growing
Excellent in pots as a trailing or climbing evergreen. Pair with a low-water companion; use a free-draining mix and let it dry between waterings.
Where it grows
A California story
Not a true jasmine, but a hardy cousin that thrives where California jasmine sulks — under oaks, on dry slopes, as a glossy evergreen carpet. Its small cream flowers hide a surprising sweetness.
